Manticores
The Manticores are a formerly Renegade Chapter, originally part of the 'Cursed' 21st Founding and successors of the Dark Angels, thus making them a part of the Unforgiven. Despite being titled as traitors, that is far from the truth. Near the ending of the 40th Millennium, the Chapter was in pursuit of the infamous Fallen Angel, Cypher, that lead to the Manticores coming into conflict with the Inquisition. Rather than revealing the dark secret of the Fallen, the Manticores took the blame and were thus declared traitors. Now they roam the galaxy, chased by their former comrades, with only their fellow Unforgiven knowing the truth. The Manticores continue to protect the Imperium, while at the same time hunting down the Fallen, in hopes of one day redeeming themselves in the eyes of the God-Emperor. After the return of the Primarch Roboute Guilliman, now Lord Commander of the Imperium, the Manticores were cleared of their charges and permitted to return to the Imperium. History Fall from Grace The Manticores had been a part of the 21st Founding from the Dark Angels. Thus, they were part of the Unforgiven and took up the duty to hunt the Fallen Angels. Before being declared renegades, the chapter had managed to capture three Fallen. That all changed in 999.M40, when the Chapter's Deathwing Company had received a report of the infamous Fallen Angel Cypher being spotted on the Frozen World of Jalor. Acting immediately, the Veteran company made there way towards Jalor to bring the Fallen to judgment. The search took over a week as the Manticores' Deathwings hunted Cypher relentlessly. Details on the last day of that week are sketchy, but the pursuit eventually resulted in a confrontation between the Deathwings and an Inquisitor of the Ordo Hereticus and Ordo Xenos, along with a contingency of Imperial Storm Troopers and a Deathwach Squad. Instead of revealing the reason for being on Jalor, the company fled the planet, with the Inquisition hot on their heels, which lead them to the Manticores being declared Heretics. But through a twist of fate, one of the Deathwatch Marines was a Dark Angel. Said Marine figured out the reason for the Manticores being on Jalor and sent word to Supreme Grand Master Azrael. Moved by the their successor chapter's loyalty to the Lion, Azrael declared that all Unforgiven Chapters would give aid to the Manticores wherever they were. Notable Campaigns *'Siege of Varak Fortress (578.M41)': While on routine patrol, the Manticores' intercepted a call for aid from the Hive World, Halis. The planet was currently locked in a civil war, with one side being Imperial Forces, and the other being a collection of local Chaos Cultists enforced by Chaos Space Marines. Originally planning to dispatch other companies, the Chief Librarian detected that the leaders of the Chaos Forces were members of the Fallen, commanding from the fortress, Varak. Thus the Chapter's Deathwing Company and 4th Company and Six Wings were sent. Upon arriving on the planet, the Manticores were greeted by the Lion Guard of their fellow Unforgiven Chapter, the Black Knights. The two Dark Angel Successor Chapters worked together to put down the Chaos uprising, and later besieged the Varak Fortress, to route out the Fallen within. It was thanks to the Six Wings that the fortress fell, as they sabotaged its outer defences before capturing the three Fallen Angels. The Manticores gave custody of the Fallen to the Black Knights, so that they may be judged, though the Black Knights gave credit of the capture to the Manticores in return. *'The Primarch's Summit (999.M41)' - In the wake of the recent catastrophic events, Dark Angels Supreme Grand Master Azrael decided to convene an emergency council of the Unforgiven's Supreme Grand Masters, including the Renegade Manticores and 'The Forgotten' (the Ebon Knights and their Successor Chapter, the Blades of the Lion), though Azrael was initially hesitant to do so. The Chapter's Librarians sent out a scattered astropathic summons - though several died in the attempt to pierce the veil of the Great Rift - and soon every available loyal son of the Lion prepared to embark on a perilous journey to the Rock. Not all found their way to that last fragment of their ancestral home, as entire Successor Chapters became lost in the Warp, while other found themselves bogged down in one of the galaxy's many raging conflicts. The entire though battered fleet of the Manticores managed to find their way through the roiling storms, and soon arrived safely to dock with the Dark Angels' fleet. A small Dark Angels Honour Guard were present to meet Grand Master Remph and his command cadre as they disembarked from their Thunderhawk gunship. They accorded the Chapter Master and his delegation with the proper custom and courtesy, along with praise of gratitude for what the Chapter did a millennia ago, and then escorted the Manticores contingent to the Rock's command chamber to meet with their fellow Supreme Grand Masters. Not long after their arrival, Azrael was informed of a new fleet transitioning into orbit around the Rock - that of the new Lord Commander of the Imperium - the resurrected Ultramarines Primarch Roboute Guilliman and his forces of the Indomitus Crusade. The Lord Commander had brought the Chapters of the Unforgiven much needed reinforcements. From the depths of Archmagos Belisarius Cawl's vast freighter-hulk marched Primaris Space Marines, created from the purest genetic material ever taken from Lion El'Jonson. Rank upon rank of them entered the Rock clad in new variants of power armour painted in the colours of the Dark Angels and their successors - including the Manticores, who had been reinstated as a loyalist chapter of the Imperium. At a brief war council, Guilliman outlined the threats facing the Indomitus Crusade. He also spoke of the updated Codex Astartes, and how his brother Lion El'Jonson's descendants had earned the right to maintain their specialised wings, as long as they continued to serve the Emperor well. So did Azrael and the other Supreme Grand Masters kneel before Guilliman, and pledged their Chapters to the new Imperium. Chapter Organization Even as a renegade chapter, the Manticores still maintain the organized structure of their chapter. Like the Dark Angels and their fellow Unforgiven, they do not follow the dictates of the Codex Astartes, instead maintaining their own unique order of battle which is intended primarily to aid their continued hunt for all of the remaining Fallen Angels, and to maximize their secrecy in doing so. That includes the changes to the 1st and 2nd Company, which are specialized as the Deathwing and Ravenwing, while the remaining companies keep to the Codex. However, after being declared traitors, the Manticores made minor changes to their companies, as well as increasing the number of new recruits to their chapter, where a single company can have up to 120 marines. Futhermore, the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th Companies are Battle Companies, while the 7th, 8th and 9th are Reserves Companies and the 10th Company holds the status as the Scout Company. Command Ranks *'Grand Master': The title that is equivalent to Chapter Master. The Grand Master has the duty to lead the chapter and heads over the meetings of the Chapter's Inner Circle, the Manticores' replacement of the standard Chapter Council. Only the Grand Master is aware of all of the Chapter's dark secrets, and despite that, even he does not know everything. *'Inner Council': **'Masters': The Captains of the Chapter, each one commands one of the companies. **'High Librarian' **'Lord Interrogator-Chaplain' **'Fleet Commander' **'Chief Apothecary' Specialist Ranks *'Eternal Guards': The Eternal Guards are the Manticore Chapter's Honour Guard, given the responsibility of protecting both the Grand Master and the mobile Fortress-Monastery. As befitting their position, the Eternal Guards are also members of the Inner Council. *'Chosen Squads': The Chosen Squads, or simply the Chosen, are Veteran Marines who are members of the chapter's Inner Circle. They are placed into other companies outside the Deathwing and Ravenwing and are divided into Vanguard Squads and Sternguard Squads. To an outsider, this is to assist their younger battle-brothers in campaigns as well as prove as examples. And this is true, but the actuality is in fact they are there to also be ready to hunt for Fallen should news of their presence be identified. The Chosen are recognized by their bone-white Power Armour and robes they wear over it. *'Six Wings': Named after the ancient specialized formation known as the Six Wings, the Six Wings are a specialized unit in the Manticores consisting of Veterans and members of the Inner Circle. Consisting of six Veteran Squads and led by a Force Commander with the rank of Master. These members are selected solely to operate outside Chapter Command, serving directly under the Grand Master himself to hunt Fallen. They are given the Escort-class ship Sword Wings to hunt for the Fallen Angels immediately. With the introduction of the Primaris Space Marines and after much debate, the Six Wings were reorganized that they would be led by a Lieutenant. Sometimes the Six Wings will have one of the specialists ranks attached (i.e. Chaplain, Librarian, Techmarine or Apothecary) and a Dreadnought too. Order of Battle Headquarters Companies Chapter Recruitment Originally, the Manticores were a fleet-based chapter, and thus had no homeworld. In order to refill their ranks, they would recruit from neighboring worlds in the system. Their choices were Death, Feral and Feudal Worlds, preferring the resilient and strong will people of these planets over those of say Hive Worlds. Even after their status as renegades, the Manticore are still able to recruit, using the great distance between certain worlds and Terra to their advantage. However, they are more careful of where they recruit, being sure not to do it on worlds with a strong Imperial presence, less the Inquisition learns of their location and chase after them. Thus, they continue to draw recruits from the three mentioned types of worlds. Many of these worlds were discovered by the Dark Angels during and after the Great Crusade, as well as other Unforgiven Chapters. Gene-Seed Chapter Fleet ''The Relentless Fury'' The Manticores' Fortress-Monastery is the Ramilies-class Starfort, The Relentless Fury. It houses the majority of the chapter's marines, and is where the Grand Master commands from. The starfort is also where the chapter's relics, armory, and the majority of their fleet are kept when not in battle. While capable of Warp Travel, the technology is not entirely reliable, and must be checked daily by the chapter's Techmarines. Combat Doctrine Chapter Beliefs Notable Manticores *'Grand Master Seth': *'Grand Master Remph': The current Grand Master, or Chapter Master, Remph is also the oldest member of the Chapter who has not been entombed into a Dreadnought. Having been a simple Tactical Marine Battle-Brother when the chapter was declared Renegades for refusing to reveal the First Legion's shame, he has since resolved himself to redeem his chapter in both the eyes of the Imperium, the Lion and the Emperor. Afterwards he climbed up the ranks, taking the position of Master of the Deathwing before eventually becoming Grand Master. He leads his chapter with great determination and resolve, focused on redeeming the Manticores one day. As the Grand Master, Remph wields the relic, Fallen's Bane, a master-crafted Power Sword in the form of a longsword. Along with that, Remph also wields a rare Combi-Grav Pistol as his range weapon. *'High Interrogator-Chaplain Raguiel': The second oldest battle-brother, excluding Dreadnoughts. An old friend of Remph, Raguiel too seeks the day when the Manticores can be redeemed. Not for his soul, but for the souls of brothers who have died before and after the chapter's status as renegades. Fearless and without mercy, Raguiel has managed to capture two Fallens personally, leaving them near death. Raguiel is also an enemy of Kokabiel, a Fallen currently in the service of the chaos warband Dark Core. *'Lord Librarian Vashillion': *'Master Camael': *'Master Ozlon': *'Master Zedekiel': A Primaris Space Marine, Lieutenant Zedekiel became the first of the Primaris accepted into the Manticore Chapter's Inner Circle. He now leads the Chapter's elite Six Wings in hunting the Fallen. *'Interrogator-Chaplain Lydon': *'Sergeant Nerius': Chapter Relics *''Fallen's Bane: Chapter Appearance Chapter Colors The Manticores primarily wear purple coloured power armour. The Aquila or Imperialis on the chest guard is green in colour, as well as the shoulder pauldron trim. A green coloured squad specialty symbol (Tactical, Devastator, Assault and Veteran) is indicated on the right shoulder pauldron. A green coloured gothic numeral stenciled on the left poleyn (knee guard) indicates squad number. The Manticores utilise their own unique heraldry for their battle companies similar to their Progenitors, which is located on their right poleyn, with the exception of the 1st and 2nd Companies, which maintain their own unique heraldry. Veteran Manticores are commonly found wearing dark purple coloured hooded cloaks and tabards; this symbolized their shame over the Fallen Angels. Cloaks and hoods are worn by the Veteran Manticores and the Chapter's Inner Circle because they have learned enough about the Dark Angels' history, and thus their shame, prior to obtaining their rank within the Chapter. Chapter Badge The Manticores Chapter badge is a stylized, white manticore - a mythical creature that possesses a body of a lion with a horned head and bat-like wings. The tail is that of a scorpion. It is said that the manticore devours its prey whole and leaves no clothes, bones, or possessions of the prey behind, an adequate analogy for the resolute Manticores, who leave nothing behind in their wake, during their relentless hunt for the Fallen. Allies Black Knights As fellow Unforgiven Chapters, the Black Knights and Manticores retain a respectful relationship. The Black Knights especially hold the Manticores in awe as the chapter were willing to be condemned as traitors in order to hide the truth. The two chapters were even able to work together in order to capture a Fallen and defeat the forces of Chaos. Enemies Ebon Knights Following the successful conclusion of the Crimson Blade Campaign, the Ebon Knights were no longer recognised as Scions of the Lion. The Dark Angels' Supreme Grand Master issued an Edict of Obliteration and ordered all contributions by the Ebon Knights to be excised from the official record. They would no longer be officially recognised as one of the Unforgiven -- they would henceforth be referred to as the 'Forgotten'. During the Indomitus Crusade, the Ebon Knights distinguished themselves time and again, earning much praise from the Lord Commander of the Imperium, and even reluctantly gained some admiration from their fellow Unforgiven Chapters, despite their pariah status. However, it remains to be seen whether or not the cold relationship between the Ebon Knights and their Progenitors eventually thaws, and The Forgotten are allowed back into the fold of the Unforgiven. Notable Quotes ''Feel free to add your own By the Manticores Feel free to add your own About the Manticores Gallery Manticore_Deathwing.png|A Veteran Marine of the Manticore's elite Deathwing Company arrayed in deadly Terminator armour. Manticores_Vet Marine.png|A Manticores Veteran Marine of the Chapter's elite 1st Company. Note: Bone-coloured power armour and robes denotes that this warrior has been inducted into the Chapter's Inner Circle. Category:Dark Angels Successors Category:Fleet-Based Chapters Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:21st Founding